Mini user guide to diving with Windy.app
Learn about the five most important things about weather forecasting for diving with Windy.app for iOS.
1. Find a dive spot near your location and create a route to it
The Windy.app contains a huge database of thousands of both the most popular and less known spots that only local surfers know about. The database is constantly updated and corrected for possible inaccuracies. This means that you can be sure to find the best waves in the app. Let's take the popular Fort Lauderdale Beach, Florida, USA, as an example.
To find the closest diving spot to you, first of all, activate the geolocation function in the general Settings of the app. Then you can find a spot in two ways: via Search on the app's Home screen and on the Weather map where you can also use the search or you can find spots via the snorkeling mask icons. To get this done faster, hide the rest of the spots in the Advanced Settings of this map.
Spot search on the Home screen of the Windy.app for iOS
Spot search on the Weather map in the Windy.app for iOS
Showing and hiding spots on the Weather map in the Windy.app for iOS
The app also allows you to navigate to a spot using one of two popular map services: Apple Maps or Google Maps. To create a route, go to the page of the spot and click on the three-dot icon to the right of its name.
2. Activate Dive Weather Profile and read the detailed and accurate dive forecast
The Dive Weather Profile is one of 10+ profiles with a set of ready-to-use weather elements for different sports and outdoor activities. Activate it through the icon to the right of the list of weather models.
Dive Weather Profile preview in the Windy.app for iOS
The profile contains a detailed and accurate dive forecast, including such vital weather elements for any diver as sea temperature and swell that includes all the basic waves elements, namely swell size (or swell height), swell direction, swell period and swell energy. Learn how to read the swell forecast in a separate blog article.
Dive forecast in the Dive Weather Profile in the Windy.app for iOS
In addition to this, using Customization feature, you can add data about sea currents (direction and speed), tides, and other things from other weather profiles. That's how you get your Custom Dive Profile.
Custom Dive Weather Profile in the Windy.app for iOS
3. Get information and tips about the spot from the local divers
On the screen of each dive spot, you will also find a section called “Spot Info”. This is a kind of mini-database inside the spots database, which contains the main non-weather parameters of the spot itself.
Spot info section in the Windy.app for iOS
Open the section to find out which season this particular dive spot has the best waves as well as the information about the seabed, best tides, working swell and wind directions, type of break, wave height range, and traffic (how crowded it is).
The section also includes photos of the spot. There is also similar data for other popular sports and outdoor activities on this spot. For example, dive spots are often also good spots for surfing, kite- and windsurfing as you see on the screen above.
In addition to this information, you can ask and get specific advice from locals on the spot about the best times to dive, and more. To do this, go to the spot’s Chat by clicking on its avatar — the round icon to the left of the spot’s name. If the spot does not have its own chat, you will get into the chat of the nearest larger spot.
Photos of the Fort Lauderdale Beach diving spot in the Windy.app Community
Exampe of the chat in the Windy.app for iOS
4. Rent the diving equipment and get other services at the spot, including dive lessons
The app also contains a database of small and large companies and individual entrepreneurs that provide various services to outdoor enthusiasts directly at or near the spots. By going to the Services section under the forecast table, you will find a list of them. As with the Weather map, to speed up your search, use the filters in Settings, selecting only the services you need.
For example, for surf spots like Fort Lauderdale Beach, you can find accommodation or book a transfer from the city or airport if you don’t have your own car, rent a dive snorkeling mast and a wetsuit and other equipment. There may also be restaurants and other services at the base.
Services on the Fort Lauderdale Beach diving spot in the Windy.app for iOS
5. Look at the bigger waves picture on the Swell map and find other nearest dive spots
Sometimes the weather forecast and spot information are not enough — you need a big picture. And the Windy.app also has it.
To get an overview of the Swell for a larger area, go from the spot page or from the app's Home screen to the same Weather map and select the Swell layer. You now see a Live swell map for the entire world. Zoom in and out of the map to make it more or less detailed.
On the Weather map you can also find other nearby surf spots and take a look at all the surf locations in the country. Use the same Advanced Settings of the map to do this.
Learn even more about how to read the surf/swell forecast in the special presentation of the Windy.app with examples and tips from professional surfers with many years of experience riding the biggest and best waves.
Swell map in the Windy.app for iOS
Read mini guides to other sports with Windy.app.
Text: Ivan Kuznetsov, an outdoor journalist, editor and writer from the Dolomites, Italy, and Karelia, Finland, with 10 years of professional experience. His favorite sports are hiking, cycling and sauna. Read his other articles
Cover photo: Jesse van Vliet / Unsplash
